Hershey

Penn State Health St. Joseph unveils Cancer Center expansion

Dr. Navesh Sharma, chief of radiation oncology at Penn State Health St. Joseph Cancer Center, talks to Dr. Elizabeth Edmunds and her husband, Charles Itle, about the TrueBeam technology. Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

READING, Pa. – A $5.5 million addition to Penn State Health St. Joseph Cancer Center featuring leading-edge radiation oncology technology is now open and offering people in the Berks region a wider range of treatments close to home. Penn State Health St. Joseph celebrated the expansion on Wednesday evening.

“We know that a cancer diagnosis changes everything,” said Dr. Marc Rovito, medical director of the Cancer Center. “But with new technologies, treatment options, clinical trials, support services and continuity of care, we offer more options right here that enable patients and their families to maintain a quality of life while they undergo treatment.”

The 2,400-square-foot addition includes a state-of-the-art TrueBeam linear accelerator. This technology gives cancer patients fast, more targeted radiation treatment that is more comfortable, more precise and causes fewer side effects than traditional radiation treatments. 

TrueBeam linear accelerator technology is a powerful combination of 2-D, 3-D and 4-D imaging that is updated every 10 milliseconds, monitors a patient’s breathing and body movement, and allows for faster, more potent doses of radiation directly to a tumor site without damage to surrounding tissue or nearby organs. Cancer physicians at St. Joseph can use this technology to create individualized and more precise treatment plans. Tailored plans and fewer and shorter sessions drastically reduce the treatment time for patients.

“Investments in expanding services and innovative technology like TrueBeam serve as a prime example of what it means for St. Joseph to be a part of Penn State Health,” said John Morahan, president of Penn State Health St. Joseph. “Investments like these further establish the capabilities of the full-service cancer program at St. Joseph and ensure our patients have direct access to the enhanced capabilities of the Penn State Cancer Institute in Hershey.”

Penn State Health St. Joseph Cancer Center provides services including genetic education, counseling and testing for people at high cancer risk, minimally invasive internal radiation therapy for liver tumors and cutting-edge clinical trials for new cancer treatments. 

Last Updated January 24, 2019